Liverpool - 2 West Ham - 0 They mustered handshakes with their tormentor-in-chief at the end but, trudging bedraggled and beaten from the sodden turf, West Ham's trio of sprightly young things still appeared awestruck in the presence of Michael Owen. For Jermain Defoe, Michael Carrick and Joe Cole, this was an education.
Prompted by Owen's scintillating display on Saturday, Liverpool's seventh league victory in succession briefly allowed them to bask in a seven-point advantage at the top of the Premiership. For the visitors the realities are grimmer, though the lessons learnt amid the deluge and defeat on Merseyside offer hope for the future.
"My three can learn from Michael," said Glenn Roeder, who worked with Owen as a member of Glenn Hoddle's England backroom staff and endured a similar breathtaking brace from the forward last season to undermine his first match in full charge at Upton Park. "He's got terrific belief in himself, which he keeps under control. I don't think there's an ounce of arrogance in him whatsoever, which given his standing in the game is remarkable.
"Earlier this season he hit a lull, but he had the self-belief not to fret and to rediscover his form. It was never likely to worry him for long."
After a week of ruction and rancour for the English game, this provided an element of relief, although Liverpool had to reject a claim afterwards that El Hadji Diouf, who was a non-playing substitute, spat in the direction of the visiting supporters. Liverpool denounced that allegation as "absolute rubbish".
Owen's ninth and 10th goals of his past seven club starts sank West Ham, the first plundered as he barged through Ian Pearce and over Tomas Repka's slide to dink a shot over David James. The second, after Sami Hyypia and the rejuvenated Vladimir Smicer had broken up a visitors' attack, slid skew-whiff off his boot and gathered pace off the greasy surface to scuttle into the net.
But the goals were an aside, the gloss on a comforting display. This was the Owen of old, a throwback to the fearless teenage bundle of energy who used to tear around before his style became cramped by the dread of a sudden stab of pain behind the knee and twang of a hamstring. For too long the prospect of a relapse had dogged the 22-year-old, even prompting members of Sven-Goran Eriksson's backroom staff to bemoan, if only in private, his apparent unwillingness to make those once trademark darting and elusive diagonal runs.
Now, though, the extra work Owen has put in is paying off. On Saturday, on a saturated and potentially perilous pitch, he was supplied by Smicer's intelligent passes and had the confidence to twist, turn and terrorise dawdling defenders.
When Repka patted the European footballer of the year on the head on the final whistle it was the first time he'd pinned the striker down with any confidence all afternoon. Pearce did not have even that consolation.
In contrast, Defoe cut such a forlorn figure, floundering in the surf, that he must have been tempted to sit down in a puddle, take out pen and paper and start making notes on how his senior of three years ran the show.
"It's been hard for Jermain because the onus has been on him while Frederic Kanoute's been out," added Roeder, "but he, Joe and Michael need to come to places like this and learn from it."
Liverpool, for all the short-sighted criticisms of their relentless style, have simply started where they left off. There has been a solitary defeat in 29 league games, 22 of which have been won, though feet remain refreshingly on the ground.
"The hard games are still ahead of us against Manchester United and Arsenal," said Smicer. "Last season Arsenal effectively won the title here when they beat us at Anfield, so those matches will be decisive."
LIVERPOOL: Dudek, Carragher, Traore, Hyypia, Riise, Murphy, Diao, Hamann, Smicer (Gerrard 70), Heskey, Owen. Subs Not Used: Kirkland, Baros, Diouf, Cheyrou. Goals: Owen 28, 55.
WEST HAM: James, Pearce, Repka, Dailly, Minto, Sinclair, Lomas, Carrick, Cisse, Cole, Defoe (Camara 67). Subs Not Used: Van Der Gouw, Winterburn, Breen, Garcia.
Referee: E Wolstenholme (Lancashire)
